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Thursday, March 31, 2011

After trying muffins with grapefruits,i couldnt stop making bakes with freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and few zest...For a change i prepared this cookies instead of scones to enjoy for breakfast along with a cup of coffee or milk,in case if u r in hurry or lazy to prepare ur breakfast..I used wholewheat, rolled oats, barley flour,quinoa flour for making this cookies,thats the reason i named it as breakfast cookies as i used all the healthy flours for making this eggless cookies..They turned out super prefect also i have added few chopped chocolate chunks for my kids as they love chocolate chunks in their cookies,else its completely optional...Healthy cookies to enjoy without any hesitation to kick start ur day,we loved it..

Preheat the oven to 350F, sieve the flours with baking soda and baking powder, add the rolled oats and chopped chocolate chunks to the flour keep aside..Beat together the butter and sugar until they turns soft, add the grapefruit zest,vanilla extract and grapefruit juice,mix everything well..Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and turn everything as a slightly sticky but stiff dough..Scoop out enough dough,arrange them over a greased baking sheet and bake for 15-20minutes until they turns golden brown..

I love the cone dosas served usually in Indian restaurants with their spicy coconut chutney, i do this cone dosa quite often with usual dosa batter, for a change i wanted to reproduce those crispy cone dosa using green gram and pearl millet dosa batter which i prepared a day before and left them aside for fermentation...I used whole pearl millet grains for preparing this dosa batter instead of pearl millet flour,which i picked at Indian grocery..My grandma used to prepare her variety dosas using sometimes whole pearl millet and whole ragi instead of flours which tastes definitely quite different from the dosas prepared using flours..I tried making the same sort of crispy pearl millet dosas along with some soaked greengrams....Needless to say that these dosas are truly healthy,nutritious and definitely delicious and am sending to Srivalli's Breakfast Mela...

Soak the parboiled rice and urad dal,fenugreek seeds separately for 4 hours with enough water...Grind the soaked urad dal with fenugreek seeds as fine paste, now grind the soaked pearl millet grains,soaked whole green gram and parboiled rice together as bit coarse paste with soaked water and take both batter in a vessel,add enough salt and keep aside for fermentation atleast for 8 hours or overnite..

Next day, heat a non stick pan or tawa, spread a ladle of the fermented dosa batter as thin circles, drizzle enough oil...cook on both sides, make a cut from the centre to one end, roll them as cone..

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

If u are searching for a simple and quick desserts for ur sudden guests or for ur sweet tooth,u have to give a trial definitely to these rose syrup coconut balls which is prepared along with rose water and sweet condensed milk..This tiny cute balls takes less minutes to get prepared and also get vanished within few hours...I couldnt stop munching them,yep they were quite addictive...Its completely ghee free so perfect for our sweeth tooth...Sending this cute balls to MM-Think Pink guest hosted by Sarah of Maison Cupcake,event by Meeta k & to Akheela's Food Palettes - Pink..

Bring boil the sweetened condensed milk with rose syrup and rose water in a nonstick pan, add immediately the dessicated coconut,cook everything until the mixture get off from the pan,finally add the cardamom powder and put off the stove..

While the mixture is still warm,makes medium sized balls from the mixture and roll over some dessicated coconut,arrange them in an airtightened box..Enjoy..

Last week we had a wonderful climate,its wasnt neither too cold nor too hot, since yesterday the climate is getting worst and its rainy here..I simply prepared this super spongy pancakes yesterday for our snacks as we guys are craving something for chocolate and enjoyed a lot with maple syrup..Actually i was thinking to make some pancakes without oats but while going through my pantry, i got a not even half a packet of puffed rice..Immediately i decided to make pancakes with those puffed rice,i soaked them in buttermilk and grounded as fine paste which later i mixed with dark chocolate powder and whole wheat flour along with honey and baking soda..These pancakes were extremely spongy and delicious, since i used non stick pan they were completely oilfree..Wat an interesting and guilt free pancakes na,needless to say am very proud to create this wonderful looking pancakes and we loved it for our snacks..

Soak the puffed rice in buttermilk for an hour, grind the soaked puffed rice with buttermilk as fine paste, take the paste in a bowl,add the honey,wholewheat flour,baking soda,dark chocolate powder,salt...stir until they turns as bit thick batter, heat a non stick pan,gently drop enough batter for pancakes,drizzle oil or butter if needed,cook on both sides until they get well cooked..

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

I have never tried making muffins with grapefruits and some grapefruits were sitting sadly since few days in my fruits basket, immediately i squeezed out their juice and grated their zest which i used in my super fluffy muffins for our snacks with oats, chocolate chips and whole wheat flour without eggs but not vegan as i used butter,milk and yogurt in this beautiful muffins..I can definitely say that i have given a second life to those mildly sour and bitter grapefruits...The picture itself says how tasty those beautiful muffins na...We enjoyed these cute looking muffins for our snacks with a cup of tea...Am sending this yummy muffins to Divya's Show Me Your Muffin..

Preheat the oven to 350F..Sieve the flour with baking soda and baking powder, add the rolled oats and chocolate chips to the flour and keep aside...Meanwhile beat together the butter and sugar until they soft mixture, add the grapefruit juice,grapefruit zest,yogurt and vanilla extract, beat until everything get well mixed,finally add the milk and give a stir..

Now add gently the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients,mix well with a spatula, dont overmix the batter,else ur muffins will turns hard..Pour enough batter in greased muffins tray and bake for 15-20minutes..

Some dosas doesnt need fermentation and gets ready to make some crispy dosas immediately...I tried out making non fermentation dosas with horsegram (kollu) and with mixed dals for our dinner sterday which ressembles quite like paruppu adais..This dosas turned out super delicious,healthy,definitely guilt free if u use non stick pan to make them,yep they doesnt even need a single drop of oil if u make ur dosas in non stick pans..Serve this dosas with some spicy chutney for ur dinner or breakfast,u will completely fallen in love with this healthy dosas..Eventhough this dosas doesnt need fermentation, u need to soak the horsegram and dals for atleast 4 hours..We loved this healthy dosas and am gonna make quite often with different variations in future..This dosas goes to AKila's DNSW -H..

Soak the rice and dals together for 4 hours along with dry red chillies and fennel seeds...Grind the soaked rice and dals in grinder with crushed garlic cloves and salt with enough water as bit coarse batter,keep the batter in room temperature..

Make dosas in non stick pan or in a hot tawa,drizzled with oil,cooked on both sides until they turns crispy and well cooked..

Monday, March 28, 2011

Some green tomatoes were sitting in my fridge since few days which i picked from Indian groceries,i bought them specially for making kootu with them, eventhough i wanted to make something different, while searching something new with green tomatoes through google i got hooked to this green tomato sabji from Aarti's Corner which she prepared these green tomatoes simply with onions and spices, this recipe sounds truly new for me where she have added jaggery... While going through her intro about this recipe, i came to know that this bhaaji is a Maharashtrian dish which her mom prepare quite often whenever she get this tomatoes from the market, i dont want to miss the chance to taste this delicious sabji and tried it immediately, this bhaaji tastes super delicious with a tangy taste and mild sweet taste, i served them as side dish along with rotis,both together works out wonder..This green tomato sabji's goes to PJ's inbox as she is hosting this month's Flavors of Maharashtra,event by Nayna and to Priya's & Aipi's Bookmarked Recipes and finally to Sunshine's Hearth Soul Hop..

Heat oil, let splutter the mustard and cumin seeds, add the onions and saute until they turns trasnculent, add the chilly powder and turmeric powder,cook for few seconds, add immediately the chopped green tomatoes,saute for few minutes,finally add the salt and jaggery,cook everything in simmer until the veggies get well cooked..

Crispy dosas with spicy coconut chutney are always my H's favourite eventhough he loved variety chutneys to enjoy along with his dosas...I tried out making a batter using quinoa and brown rice along with urad dal and fenugreek seeds which i kept for fermentation and enjoyed these healthy crispy dosas for our sunday's dinner...None will find out that these dosas are prepared with quinoa and brown rice, yep they turned out extremely crispy and ressembles quite like our usual dosas...Believe me or not we had a great dinner and enjoyed having these crispy dosas which turned almost like paper roast..

Wash and soak the quinoa and brown rice together and urad dal along with fenugreek seeds separatly for 4hours..

Grind the urad dal,fenugreek seeds as smooth batter in a grinder with enough water, take off the batter in a vessel,now grind the soaked quinoa and brown rice together as bit coarse paste with the soaked water,mix both urad dal batter and quinoa-brown rice paste together with enough salt..Keep aside for fermentation..

Heat a tawa and spread this fremented batter as thick circles,drizzle oil as per need and cook on both sides.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Serve rotis,naans or kulchas with this aloo mattar anytime, i can sit and eat without saying 'NO', anything with potatoes and green peas are always my favourite..I prepared this yummy aloo mattar gravy few days back which i served with my Paneer Barley Paratha, both together turned out super delicious..This aloo mattar goes fabulous as side dish even along with ghee rice or mildly spiced vegetable pulao when served hot....This aloo mattar goes for a simply preparation quite like paneer matar and this gravy goes for onion tomato based masala..I used baby potatoes and fresh green peas for making this wonderful looking gravy..

Heat enough oil, fry the cumin seeds,bayleaves then add the chopped onions,garlic ginger paste and sauté until the raw smell goes away, add the green peas,cook for few seconds, add now the tomato puree, garam masala,coriander powder, red chilly powder,sugar and salt..cook everything in low flame for few minutes..meanwhile in a pan,heat few drops of oil, fry the cooked baby potatoes for few minutes until they turns crispy..

Add now the cream, fried potatoes cook in low flame until the oil gets separates from the gravy, add the chopped coriander leaves and serve with chapathis,rotis or naan...

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Kanda Bhaji or else Khekda bhaji are made from onions, these crunchy fritters are prepared using besan and onion and its quite famous in Maharashtra...These bhajis are prefect when its rainy or chilled evening snacks, these crunchy bhajis tastes marvellous for evening snacks when served along with a cup of tea...Eventhough this onion bhajis ressembles quite like our pakodas, its has a fabulous taste coz of ajwain seeds and coriander seed powder are used in this bhajis..Am sending this kanda bhaji's to Flavors of Maharashtra guest hosted by PJ,event by Nayna..

Mix the flour,chilly powder, coriander powder, ajwain seeds,baking powder,turmeric powder and salt,make a thick batter with enoug water, heat oil for deep frying, dip gently the sliced onions to the batter,drop them to the hot oil..fry until they turns golden brown and drain the excess of oil with a paper towel..

Sometimes a simple curry may turn our lunch or dinner absolutely wonderful na, this simple snakegroud stir fry is one among those simple stir fry which goes prefect along with sambar or rasam at the same time one of my favourite side dish which my mom never failed to feed us atleast once in a week, i still remember whenever we go to our grandma's village, we guys go with our grandma to pluck fresh snakegourds from her backyard and prepare this simple stir fry with loads of freshly grated coconut...This stir fry makes me nostalgic and am sending this dish to Gayathri's Walking Through The Memory Lane..

Heat enough oil,let splutters the mustard seeds, urad dal and cumin seeds, add now the chopped onions,slit opened green chillies and curry leaves, sauté until the onions turns transculent...immediately add the chopped snakegourd and salt,stir for few minutes in high flame and put the flame in simmer,springle some water, cover the pan with lid, stir occasionally until the veggies get cooked..Finally add the grated coconut,cook for few seconds and put off the stove..

Friday, March 25, 2011

If u searching for a quick,easy and oil-less snacks,u have to give a trial to this flavourful garlicky puffed rice mixture, also its takes very less time to get ready..Definitely a spicy,guilt free snack to enjoy without any hesitation...I prepared a box of this spicy mixture today for our weekend snacks..Yep after having some sweet muffins for our snacks its time to munch some spicy stuffs...Actually mixture goes for deepfried items while this mixture goes for less oil,yeah just for frying some roasted channa dal,peanuts and tempering this mixture...Obviously sending this mixture to Kurinji's HRH-Puffed Rice..

Heat the oil, fry the peanuts until they turns crispy,take them out and fry the roasted channadal to the same oil until they turns brown,keep them aside..To the same oil, fry the garlic cloves,curry leaves and dry red chillies until they turns brown,put the flame in simmer and immediately add the turmeric powder,chilly powder and salt to them,fry for few seconds, add now the already fried dal and peanuts,sauté for few seconds..put off the stove..

Now mix this spiced dals & peanuts to the puffed rice..toss gently until everything gets well mixed..Arrange them in a air tightened box and munch them without any guilt..

Am an addict to citrus flavoured bakes while my family members are quite opposite to me, its quite hard to for me to avoid my fav citrus flavoured bakes, somehow i managed myself to make this eggless lemon poppyseeds muffins sterday, my kids enjoyed having this yummy muffins for their snacks while my H doesnt even want to have a bite..I enjoyed having this delicious spongy muffins with my kids for my snacks also for my breakfast with a cup of warm milk,for the first time i tried making this muffins with poppyseeds which i picked after a long hesitation needless to say we loved the addition of poppyseeds in this spongy muffins...U may see more bakes with poppyseeds quite often in my space...These muffins goes to Divya's Show Me Your Muffin..

Preheat the oven to 350F..Sieve the flour with baking soda and baking powder,add the poppy seeds and keep aside...Beat the sugar,butter and oil until the sugar gets well dissolved, immediately add the buttermilk,lemon juice,lemon zest and vanilla extract, whisk everything well..

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mix it well with a spatula,batter will be quite thick but dont overmix the batter,else ur muffins will turn hard...Drop enough batter to the silicon muffin tray and bake for 20-25minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean..

Thursday, March 24, 2011

I was breaking my head for our today's dinner, coz none at home wanted to have salads or either soups,finally i decided to prepare this quick and simple easy breezy upma with shredded cabbage and puffed rice..This upma gets ready within few minutes, also vanish within few minutes too...Crunchy cabbage and puffed rice together tastes super marvellous..Just enjoy this upma with some coconut chutney or either with sugar, the choice is urs..

I prepared myself low fat paneer using skimmed milk powder at home, paneer prepared with milkpowder tastes exactly as we get from the fullfat milk...I prepared making this paratha using those low fat paneer cooked like paneer bhurji,which i added to barley and wheat flour to make some delicious parathas,this parathas doesnt even need any side dishes to enjoy eventhough everyone at home had it with side dish,yep we loved this paratha and served along with aloo mattar, which i'll be posting soon, so stay tuned...Obviously this parathas goes to WWC-Barley for Breakfast guest hosted by myself,event by Sanjeeta & to my own event CWS-Wheat guest hosted by Suma, finally to Only Original Recipes guest hosted by Nivi,event by Pari..

Heat a tablespoon of oil, fry the ajwain seeds and curry leaves, add immediately chopped onions,chopped green chillies until they turns brown, add the scrambled paneer, garam masala powder and salt,cook in simmer until the paneer get well coated with spices..Keep aside and let them cool..

Take the wheat flour,barley flour, already prepared paneer bhurji in a bowl, add enough salt (take care not to add more salt coz we have already added salt in paneer bhurji),gradually add the yogurt and turn as soft and smooth dough,keep aside for half an hour..Make 10-12medium sized balls from the dough,dust with enough flour and roll as circles..

Heat a tawa, drop the rolled parathas,drizzle oil and cook on both sides until they get well cooked,enjoy hot with any sort of side dishes..

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Who will say no to puffed rice balls, its one of the important and traditional sweets prepared for every Karthigai Deepam with jaggery or either with sugar..My favourite balls, i love this puffed rice balls very much..This weekend i picked a packet of puffed rice and tried making with honey instead of jaggery syrup or sugar, this balls tastes too delicious prefect as the same we do with jaggery syrup...My teddies didnt stop munching them and these balls vanished within few hours...Am sending this healthy puffed rice balls to Akila's DNSW - H...

2cups Puffed rice

1/2cup Honey

1tbsp Cardamom powder

Bring boil the honey with cardamom powder and stir continously,once the honey turns thick,put off the stove and add immediately the puffed rice..Either u can spread this puffed rice-honey mixture in a greased plate and slice as bars or roll them balls when they still warm..

Since i tried out artichoke in my cooking, i got hooked completely to this wonderful veggies, i tried out making a side dish to serve along with rice using canned artichoke, potato and mushroom, definitely the addition of potato and mushroom turned out this simple masala truly delicious and everyone at home loved this masala when i served them with rice and sambhar...Simple but yet a delicious dish to enjoy even along with rotis..

Heat enough oil, fry the fennel seeds, curry leaves until they turns brown, add the chopped onions,chopped tomatoes,ginger garlic paste,sauté until the veggies turns mushy and the raw smell gets off...add the chopped artichoke hearts and chopped mushrooms, sauté for few seconds, add immediately the cubed potatoes, salt..Cook everything in simmer..Add the cumin powder, chilly powder,coriander powder,stir gently for few seconds until the veggies gets well coated...Springle some water and cook in simmer until the veggies get well cooked..

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

I crossed this delicious and interesting moru curry at Nandini's Food Page,apart from roast i never tried making anything with taro root, i tried this curry long back and its sitting in my draft since a long, i prepared this chembu moru curry already twice,everytime its a big hit at home..Serve with moru curry with hot steaming rice and pickles,u will definitely love this wonderful moru curry...This curry goes to Kerala Kitchen hosted by Magpie..

Peel the taro roots and cut them as medium sized bites, cook them in enough water with salt,chilly powder and turmeric powder until they turn tender but not mushy..Meanwhile grind the coconut,green chillies, cumin seeds with some water and thick paste, add this paste to the cooking taro roots..put the flame in simmer,now add the curd,cook for few seconds...

Its always fun to make no knead bread coz they need just mixing nothing more than that, u dont need to spend ur precious time on kneading for hours for making this bread..Yesterday i went for this no knead bread using some crushed garlic and sun dried tomatoes for making this healthy whole wheat bread,which i spiced up with some flax seeds, crushed red chilly flakes and dry herbs like parsley and thymn..This bread turned out super prefect and truly very flavourful coz of those crushed garlic cloves, when served along with a soup needless to say that this bread slices tastes super fabulous also along with cheese spread ,my teddies enjoyed having this savoury bread for their snacks...Since this bread goes for whole wheat flour,its completely healthy even for diabetic people, definitely a guilt free bread since its doesnt go for butter,sugar coz i used olive oil and honey...Obviously this bread is going to BBD#38 - No Knead Bread guest hosted by Cindystar and to Susan's Yeastspotting and finally to my own event CWS-Wheat guest hosted by Suma..

Take the whole wheat flour,crushed garlic cloves, finely chopped sundried tomatoes,flax seeds (leave some seeds for topping),thymn leaves, parsley leaves, dry red chilly flakes in a bowl,meanwhile mix the water,olive oil,honey,salt and yeast, stir until the yeast gets mixed, immediately add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients with a spatula, the dough will be extremely sticky, transfer the dough to a greased bowl,sit in warm place for two hours until they get doubled their volume..

Preheat the oven to 350F..Transfer the dough to the greased loaf pan, brush the top with olive oil,springle some flax seeds and bake for 10minutes at 350F and 20 minutes at 300F until the crust turns golden brown..

Monday, March 21, 2011

I love variety rasams even everyday with or without any side dish..I never stopped trying many different variations and we loved this garlic cabbage rasam which i prepared two days back for our lunch..For my surprise this rasam tastes truly fabulous when served simply served with lemon pickles and papads..I prepared this rasam using cooked moongdal and usual rasam powder along with sauteed cabbage and garlic..Do try friends, u will definitely love this combination in rasam..I usually add lemon juice instead of tamarind in rasam incase if u dont have lemon juice,no problem u can definitely add tamarind juice in ur rasam..Sending to Only Original Recipes guest hosted by Nivi,event by Pari.

Take the cooked moongdal,crushed tomato,rasam powder in a bowl,add enough water and keep aside...Now heat enough oil in a pan,fry the mustard seeds, urad dal,curryleaves,dry red chillies, asafoetida powder..Add immediately the crushed garlic,fry until they turns brown,add now the chopped cabbage,salt,cook everything for few minutes until the cabbage turns soft..Now add the already prepared dal-tomato mixture to the cooking cabbages (add salt if needed) and once it starts boiling put off the stove, add the chopped coriander leaves,lemon juice and serve hot..

As i told earlier i used partially cooked wheat grains for making this salad, which i cooked completely as we cook the pastas, this salad goes for simple,quick and easy breezy ingredients..Yep this salad need some lettuce leaves, black raisins, cooked wheat,grated carrots and some thinly grated sour green apples...Just serve this salad with yogurt dressing before ur lunch or for dinner with toasted bread slices, this salad is quite healthy,filling also at the same time refreshing..The sourness of green apple will be completely masked by the grated carrot and raisins..Enjoy this salad which tastes marvellous with mild sweetness and sourness together anytime of the day..Sending this salad to Pia's Innovative Salad -Apple,Strawberry or Pineapple and to my own event CWS-Wheat guest hosted by Suma & to Priya Mahadevan's Fast Food but Not Fat Food..

Sunday, March 20, 2011

I used to make parathas with veggies but never with mixed veggies and barley flour...I tried out this healthy and nutritious paratha using both barley flour and wholewheat flour for our yesterday breakfast..This parathas tastes marvellous along with simple coconut chutney at the same time y not along with paneer mattar, also its one of a best way to sneak veggies, in this paratha i used simply grated veggies like carrot,cabbage,radish,broccoli and zucchini....Needless to say this parathas goes to WWC-Barley guest hosted by me,event by Sanjeeta & to A Veggie/Fruit A Month guest hosted by Vanessa,event by Priya..

2cups Whole wheat flour

1cup Barley flour

1cup Grated mixed veggies (carrot,radish,zucchini,broccoli & cabbage)

1tsp Ajwain seeds

Salt

Oil

Add enough salt to the veggies and keep aside for few minutes coz zucchini,cabbage & radish will definitely leaves some water, drain the water and add the veggies to the wholewheat flour,barley flour,ajwain seeds, gradually add the water left by the veggies and water,salt (if needed),knead everything as a soft dough,keep aside for half an hour.

Make medium sized balls from the dough,dust with enough flour and roll as slightly thick circles..Drop gently the flattened paratha over a hot tawa,drizzle the oil,cook on both sides until they gets well cooked..

Saturday, March 19, 2011

I came across this wonderful looking chicken fry at Kairali Sister's Pazham Pappadam Payasam, immediately i bookmarked and i tried this delicious and mouthwatering fry quite a long, its now our family favourite and i couldnt stop myself to make quite often as its goes for easy breezy preparation and my teddies loves this delicious chicken fry with hot piping rasam...Personally i love this chicken fry when served along with ghee rice, this hot and yummy chicken fry goes awesome with mildly spiced ghee rice and both together tastes absolutely divine..No words to say how tasty this chicken fry,the picture itself speaks a lot na..Sending to Kerala Kitchen hosted by Magpie..

Dont remove the skin of the chicken,pull it down and make two slits on both sides,keep aside..In a bowl,take the red chilly powder, coriander powder, chicken masala powder, turmeric powder,garam masala,salt,lime juice and water, add the chicken drumsticks to the spice mixture and keep aside for atleast two hours..

Heat enough oil, add the curry leaves, ginger and garlic cloves, now add the marinated chicken drumsticks and fry in medium heat until they get cooked also gets well brown..Enjoy with rice...

After vanilla and chocolate icecream, i can have ton of mango icecream..Love it that much, i prepared this eggless and smooth mango icecream using kesar mango pulp can which i simply picked when we went last week to Indian grocery, this mango icecream goes for a simple,quick and easy breezy preparation...Just whisk the mango pulp with condensed milk and whipping cream,freeze it and ur icecream is ready..U doesnt even need an icecream maker for making this yummy icecream..Sending this icecream to Vaishali's Its Spring& Celebrate Sweets-Icecream guest hosted by Reshmi,event by Nivedita along with Avocado Icecream&Coffee Milkshake to the same event..

In a bowl,whisk together the mango pulp and condensed milk..Now add the whipping cream and whisk until everything get well mixed...pour this mixture in a box or stainless steel bow, after an hour take out the slightly forzen icecream in a blender,beat for few minutes, pour again to the box and let them sit in freezer for overnite..

Friday, March 18, 2011

Some of our mom's dishes are really very close to our heart na...This shallot sambhar is one among those delicious dishes which my mom cook quite often..My mom is an excellent cook, great home maker who can make number of dishes within a hour,she never get tired even if we have sudden relatives..I can say proudly that none will go back to their home without enjoying her warm and comforting food...She used to go everyday to market to get fresh veggies and greens for making our lunch, she never failed to buy shallots and quite often she makes this sambhar which goes prefectly along with rice and with hot steaming idlies or crispy dosas, i can survive for many days with this sambhar and mango pickle...I prepared my mom's one of the signature dish for our dinner sterday and served this delicious sambhar with idlies...My H soaked his idlies directly to this sambhar and relished his bowl of sambhar...Sending this droolworthy shallots sambhar to Gayathri's Walking Through The Memory Lane & to CWF-Tomato guest hosted by Sanyukta,event by Kiran..

Heat the oil, roast one by one all the ingredients given in the list 'to roast & grind'..Grind everything as fine paste with enough water...Now heat enough oil, let splutters the mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves, add immediately the shallots and sauté until they turns brown, now add the chopped tomatoes,curry leaves,asafoetida powder, salt,cook everything for few minutes...

Add the tamarind extract, cooked dal,sambhar powder, enough water and bring everything to boil and cook for few minutes..Finally add the grounded paste,cook for few seconds and put off the stove..

If u dont have eggs no problem, at the same time u dont want to make a cake with butter and sugar, no problem at all, this apple and walnut whole wheat cake is completely a delicious,healthy,guilt free at the same sugarfree, butterfree and eggless but not vegan coz i used milk and yogurt in this cake....I tried making this beautiful cake yesterday for our snacks,coz of some apples sitting since a long in my fruit baskets also its has been quite two weeks i didnt bake anything for my teddies with fruits for their snacks, so i have grated two apples and added few chopped walnuts to the cake batter which i have prepared without sugar,eggs and butter..The addition of grated apples turned out the cake more soft and the crunchiness of the walnuts was absolutely fabulous while having this cake...A simple cake to enjoy anytime without any guilt...Sending this cake to Kid's Delight guest hosted by Priya,event by Srivalli and to my own event CWS-Wheat guest hosted by Suma..

Preheat the oven to 350F..Either line a baking sheet over a baking pan or use silicon round baking pan,as they doesnt need greasing...Sieve the whole wheat flour,cornflour,baking powder and baking soda in a bowl and keep aside...Now take the honey,olive oil,yogurt,milk in an another bowl, whisk everything well until they get well mixed, add gradually the flours into the wet ingredients,mix well with a spatula,dont beat vigorously..Finally add the grated apples,chopped walnuts, give a quick mix and pour the batter to the silicon round baking pan..

Bake the cake for 25-30minutes in middle rack of the oven...Take off the baked cake and keep aside..let them cool completely..Enjoy for snacks or breakfast with ur favourite drink...

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Simple dal goes for an easy preparation,u dont need to grind or cook for hours, this pappu goes for simple ingredients and simple cooking process...U can prepare this pappu even if u r in hurry, which tastes absolutely marvellous and comforting, serve them along with hot steaming rice,some spicy mango pickles and papads nothing will beat this combo, wonder how i missed to post this pappu coz i make them quite often whenever i feel lazy..While going through Harini & Jaya's Tamalapaku, i was quite surprised to see their new event,where they both want to plan a menu and post atleast a recipe with few vegetables like okra, bottlegourd,spinach, some fruits like bananas and apples,toordal,oats and whole wheat flour..I was happy to design my menu with those ingredients and veggies they have asked us to cook or plan a menu..I come up with my 3 course vegetarian meal and am posting my bottlegroud dal as a per event's rules..

Take the washed toor dal, chopped bottlegourd pieces,crushed ginger and slit opened green chillies in a pressure cooker with enough water and turmeric powder and cook upto 3hisses, keep aside and let them cool...Meanwhile heat enough oil, fry the mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds and curry leaves..add the chopped onions,chopped tomatoes and saute until the veggies get cooked..Add the cooked dal with enough salt to the onions and bring them to boil..finally add the lemon juice and put off the stove..Serve hot!!

It was quite an obligation for me to finish almost half a bottle of smooth peanut butter which i opened few days back,since it was sitting quite a long in fridge i wanted to make them something for our snacks also as a bake..I went for brownies with those peanut butter,needless to say these brownies tastes super delicious also they vanished within few hours, my teddies enjoyed having this beautiful brownies with a cup of milk for their snacks..This peanut butter brownies was quite a big hit and even my H asked me to bake quite often if possible..With a yummy chocolate frosting this peanut butter brownies looks absolutely gorgeous and tastewise i have no words to explain..

Preheat the oven to 350°F..Melt the butter, beat the melted butter along the sugar, eggs, peanut butter until the mixture turns smooth..now add the flour and baking powder,give a stir.finally stir in the chopped chocolate chunks...Grease a square baking pan, pour the batter and bake for 25-30minutes...Let it cool completely..

Meanwhile melt the chocolate with whipping cream, once the chocolate gets well melted,put off the stove..now mix the confectioner's sugar and keep aside, once they get cooled, keep immediately in fridge..

While serving, spread the chocolate frosting over the brownies, cut as small squares and serve..

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

One of my favourite masala with butter beans, which tastes tremendous when served along with hot piping rasam or delicious sambhar..This masala goes for an easy breezy preparation, this is one of my mom's signature dish which she quite often makes whenever she get some butter beans from our usual grocery..This masala also goes prefectly even along with rotis...Its has been ages i had this masala and finally i prepared making this delicious masala yesterday for our lunch and served along with rasam..Sending this delicious masala to Gayathri's Walking Through The Memory Lane..

As i told earlier, i prepared myself the barley flour by grinding whole barleys in mixie which i seived and arranged them in a air tightened box for further use...I used those home made barley flour for making this delicious pancakes along with rolled oats and whole wheat flour...Just have this pancakes with maple syrup or agave syrup for our breakfast with a cup of hot warm chocolate or coffee to kick start ur day...This pancakes goes for a simple preparation, since i had a bottle of storebought caramel syrup, i tried adding in this pancake,no problem if u dont have the caramel syrup, u can definitely skip this part and use vanilla essence to the pancakes....I used honey instead of sugar in this pancakes adding honey will definitely makes this pancakes definitely guilt free...This pancakes goes to WWC-Barley for Breakfast guest hosted by me,event by Sanjeeta and to my own event CWS-Wheat guest hosted by Suma...

Soak rolled oats and yogurt for half an hour, now mix the wholewheat flour,barley flour,baking powder, baking soda,honey,milk ,caramel syrup and olive oil to the soaked oats-yogurt mixture, turn everything as thick batter (add water if needed)..Heat few drops of oil, pour a ladle full of the batter,dont spread the batter, cook on both sides until the crust turns brown, serve warm with maple syrup..

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

I got this wonderful looking kadahi bhindi from Aipi's US Masala, her beautiful clicks tempted me a lot and i immediately bookmarked this kadahi bhindi...Few days back, i picked few fresh okras which i wanted to make this delicious kadahi bhindi and tried it immediately...This okra curry tastes marvellous with hot piping rasam,papads and rice, we loved this combo and even my teddies loved this curry...To be honest, this okra curry tastes truly marvellous and goes for a quiet a different and easy breezy preparation..We had this okra curry even along with rotis for our dinner...Thanks to Aipi for sharing this wonderful okra curry, am gonna make often since we guys enjoyed having...

Heat a enough oil, fry the okras until they turns golden brown,keep aside..In the same pan, add again enough oil, fry the cumin seeds,ajwain seeds, mustard seeds,asafoetida, now add the ginger garlic paste,cook for few seconds, add the chopped onions,salt and cook until the onions turns brown, now add the red chilly powder, coriander powder and bell pepper..cook everything in simmer.

Add the chopped tomatoes,chopped coriander leaves, cook for few minutes, finally add the tomato ketchup, let everything cook in medium heat..add the already fried okras and kasuri methi...stir everything again for few minutes until the oil gets separates...Put off the stove,garnish the curry with coriander leaves and enjoy hot with rice or rotis..

Our this month Indian Cooking Challenge goes for this delicious suruttai polis which means rolled polis...This suruttai poli was shared by Nithya's mom of 4th sense cooking, we have to say big thanks for sharing this wonderful rolled polis,which tastes marvellous and quite a new snack for us, i enjoyed making this suruttai polis and they vanished within few hours..This sweet goes for deep fried pooris and a delicious stuffing which gets ready truly very fast, yep the stuffing is prepared with roasted gram,sugar,coconut,cardamom powder and cashew nuts..We loved it..

Powder the roasted gram and sugar together,meanwhile break the cashews into small pieces, heat the ghee,roast the broken cashews and coconut,fry for few minutes, now take everything in a bowl,mix well..keep the filling aside..

For Polis:
1cup Maida
A pinch salt
Oil for frying

Mix the maida,salt in a bowl,add the water little by little and make a soft dough,leave aside for half an hour..makes small balls from the dough,roll them as medium sized circles,spread them on paper and leave it aside for few minutes, deep fry those pooris in hot oil, remove them when they get half cooked,but should nit puff up totally..

Fried pooris should be flexible and not brown or crispy..once remove them from oil,immediately spread the filling over the fried pooris and roll it tight..Arrange in a plate, these rolls will be soft when made,but they become crispy once they get cooled...Enjoy as snacks...

Monday, March 14, 2011

A quick one pot meal get ready in less time in microwave oven with leftover cooked rice..Zucchini and peanut together works out wonder and its quite an easy breezy rice,tastes delicious when served along with any sort of spicy roasts..We enjoyed with potato chips and the addition of peanut in this rice turned out this rice truly delicious and nutty..In case if u dont have leftover rice, u can very well go for freshly cooked rice either by cooking in microwave oven or either in rice cooker...A prefect lunch box menu too..Anyhow the cooking time varies according to ur microwave oven power.....

Heat enough oil in a microwave safe bowl for 40-45 seconds in high power, add the cumin seeds and shah jeera, cook in microwave oven for a minute, add the chopped onions,slit opened green chillies and salt,cook for 5-7minutes until the onions turns transculent..now add the peanuts,cook for 2 minutes..Finally add the chopped zucchini, garam masala powder,pav bhaji powder, cook for 10 minutes until the veggies get well cooked...

Delicious sweet mango thokku goes prefect as side dish along with simple rotis or else as a spread over a toasted bread slices...Even now am relishing this yummy sugarfree sweet mango thokku with some toasted bread with a cup of tea for my breakfast, i prepared this delicious,mildly tangy also at the same time sweet thokku by using honey and spiced up with red chilly powder also tempered with mustard seeds..Actually my mom used to make this sweet thokku quite often but with jaggery syrup and red chilly powder, as am trying to make sugar free dishes, i went for honey for making this thokku..If u are craving for something with mangoes, this sweet thokku suits prefectly..

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Our sunday lunch was this delicious prawn tomato pulao which i served along with fried chicken wings, this pulao tastes absolutely wonderful also its goes for an easy breezy preparation...Cooked basmati rice mixed with a delicious prawn masala prepared with tomato-coconut based gravy along with usual spice powders....A real feast for sea food lovers and very delicious sunday special lunch, definitely a wonderful one pot meal which suits prefectly even for a potluck party..

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Nowadays i couldnt stop myself to buy cute baby potatoes from my favourite farmer's market, this time i wanted to make a delicious dish instead of preparing the same potato roast or curry, while going through Aipi's US Masala i got hooked immediately with this Achari Aloo, most of us know that Aipi's blog have many authentic North Indian dishes as well as International dishes, i love her blog, everytime i go there she simply rocks with her beautiful clicks which makes me hungry even after having my lunch or dinner...Coming to this achari aloo, initially i thought this dish will go for many cooking process and for my surprise Aipi's achari aloo's goes truly for a quick preparation and tastes truly marvellous, we enjoyed having this achari aloo as side dish along with rotis...Sending this yummy potato dish to Tried & Tasted guest hosted by Priya,event by Lakshmi and to AWED-Indian Cuisine guest hosted by Ayeesha,event by DK..

Heat enough oil, add all the ingredients given for tempering and fry until everything turns brown, add the chopped onions,chopped tomatoes,sauté for few minutes, add the ginger garlic paste and cook until the raw smells goes on, now add the already cooked baby potatoes,sauté for few seconds, now add all the spice powder, cook it well until the potatoes gets well coated with masala, finally add the lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves put off the stove..

Friday, March 11, 2011

Dunno how i missed to post till today my favourite mattar paneer in my space..Most of us know that mattar paneer is a delicious side dish prepared using paneer and peas in a tomato based spicy gravy.. Its one of the famous North Indian food especially in Punjab, this mattar paneer is one of our family favourite dish, which i quite often prepare for our dinner to serve along with rotis or with naans...Probably mattar paneer is one among the popular side dish found all over India, a real feast for peoples like me who fond always for paneer..

Heat enough oil, fry the cubed paneer and keep aside, in the same pan fry the cumin seeds and shah jeera, than add the chopped onions,garlic ginger paste and sauté until the raw smell goes away, add the green peas,cook for few seconds, add now the tomato puree, garam masala,coriander powder, red chilly powder, kasuri methi,sugar and salt..cook everything in low flame for few minutes..

Add now the cream, fried paneer cook in low flame until the oil gets separates from the gravy, add the chopped coriander leaves and serve with rotis or naan...

Its has been a long i prepared waffles at home, my daughter doesnt have that much time to have her breakfast as she is preparing for her upcoming exams, she particularly avoids her breakfast just by saying breakfast will take some of her precious time, which i totally never accept.. I know she loves waffles that too when served along with nutella...Finally i decided to make some waffles with home made barley flour along with whole wheat flour and prepared as a eggless version which is quite completely sugarfree as i used honey in this waffles, these waffles turned out super prefect and my daughter had a wonderful breakfast with this healthy waffles and nutella spread...Even its suits well for snacks with some fruit jams and agave syrup..An excellent waffles to enjoy without any guilt.

Preheat the waffle maker...Mix the flax seed meal in a warm water as a thick paste...Sieve together the flours and baking powder, beat together the flaxseed meal paste, honey,applesauce,vanilla extract,oil and milk, gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and turn as a batter..Pour a ladle of batter to the waffle maker until they get cooked..

Serve with a cup of warm milk with nutella spread,jams or simply with maple or agave syrup...

Thursday, March 10, 2011

I know its quite tricky to choose mangoes that too when its not a peek season for mangoes,just know i can see few mangoes in my favourite farmer's market, i did a big mistake by choosing green mangoes from Indian stores thinking that they will be sour,but once i tasted them after coming back to home, they were mildly sour and sweet at the same time..My H dont like sweet mangoes in sambhar or in kuzhambus, so finally i decided to turn them as spiced buttermilk with black salt,mint leaves,sugar and few chopped ginger..For my surprise even my kids enjoyed having this mango buttermilk chilled, they loved it..When served chilled, this buttermilk tastes delicious with mild mint and ginger flavour and quite a thirsty quencher, am gonna make this buttermilk quite often, a prefect drink for upcoming hot summer..

To be honest, I prepared this idli accidently, actually i was preparing a batter for making sweet dosas with barley and oats,the batter turned out super watery..To give thickness to the batter, i have added some cornmeal, but i couldnt able to get the dosas prefectly,also i have wasted two ladles of this batter and trashed those shapeless dosas, finally i step up mind to make them as sweet idli, thats the way this instant version of idli was born, actually sweet idlies are quite famous at my grandma's place and we guys do rarely Olaiappam which i have already posted in my space..Coming to this idli, its turned out super fluffy coz of the eno salt i used in this batter and delicious coz of jaggery also definitely healthy coz of barley flour and rolled oats...This sweet idli goes to WWC-Barley for Breakfast which am hosting for this month, an event by Sanjeeta..

Make a thick syrup with jaggery and water, now take the cornmeal,oats,barley flour in a bowl,add the jaggery syrup,yogurt and salt, mix everything well until they turn as a thick batter, finally add the eno salt and pour the batter to the greased idli plate..Steam cook for 15-20minutes in Idly cooker..

Enjoy this idli hot without any side dish, in case if u want to have bit sweet,just drizzle some honey or maple syrup and enjoy hot..

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

We get whole wheat grains here which can be cooked exactly like pastas..These wheat grains can be used instead of pasta which i usually serve with pasta sauces, this time i tried using those already partially cooked but dried whole wheat grains for making pulihora which was quite unusual..Trust me, u wont regret making this pulihora with whole wheat grains, they tastes marvellous,even my H who never like this sort of dishes with wheat enjoyed having with fried papads..This pulihora tastes super delicious after a day, we loved it...I used tamarind extract for making this pulihora,needless to say that this dish is even prefect for diabetic peoples..Definitely a healthy version of pulihora which am gonna make often for the sure..In case if u dont get these sort of partially cooked but dried whole wheat grains,u can use the usual whole wheat grains,but dont forget to cook in pressure cooker before making this dish..Hope u guys wont bother about the click na, its was quite rainy the day i prepared this dish and the picture doesnt turn prefectly, sending this wheat pulihora to Satya's Twist the Tradition - Pulihora and to CWS-Wheat guest hosted by Suma..

Dry roast the ingredients given under 'roast & grind' and powder them as fine powder...Heat enough gingelly oil, fry the mustard seeds, urad dal,channadal,asafoetida powder,dry red chillies until they turns brown, add the peanuts, turmeric powder,fry until the peanuts turns brown, immediately add the tamarind extract,curry leaves with salt and bring everything to boil, cook until the oil gets separates, put off the stove..

Meanwhile cook the whole wheat grains in enough water and salt until the grains turns soft, drain the excess of water and keep aside...Spread the cooked whole wheat in a flat plate, add enough tamarind paste and spice powder as per need, mix well..add salt if needed..Keep aside the pulihora for atleast an hour before serving..

I prepared myself the barley flour at home by grinding the whole barley grains, i used immediately the barley flour for making this barley parathas along with chopped mints,ajwain seeds and wholewheat flour..They turned out super soft,healthy and prefect for a breakfast or else for dinner, i served along this paratha along with channa masala..Even my teddies enjoyed having this healthy parathas,obviously this parathas goes to my inbox since am hosting this month's WWC-Barley,event by Sanjeeta and to my own event CWS-Wheat guest hosted by Suma and finally to PJ's Herbs & Flowers in My Platter..

Take the flours, chopped mint leaves, ajwain seeds, salt in a bowl, add the yogurt and water to knead as a soft and smooth dough..keep aside for half an hour..

Make 8-10medium sized balls from the dough,dust the dough with flour and rolls as parathas using rolling pin..heat a pan, drop gently the rolled parathas,drizzle the oil..cook the parathas on both side until they get well cooked..Serve hot with channa masala...

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Never thought until i try this juice that mint leaves and kiwi both together works out wonder, its quite a refreshing juice and completely its sugarfree coz i used maple syrup for making this simple juice...Addition of mint leaves gives a beautiful flavour to this simple kiwi juice, just add some ice cubes and enjoy while its hot..Definitely a refreshing juice to enjoy..Sending to Vaishali's Its Spring..

2cups Kiwi (peeled & chopped)

1sprig Mint leaves

Maple syrup as per need

Water

Blend the kiwi flesh with mint leaves and maple syrup with enough water, dont strain the juice and serve immediately..Enjoy!!

When i saw these cute looking jalebi's at Savitha's space, i immediatley bookmarked it and tried them sterday afternoon, they came out super prefect and these adorable jalebis was quite a big hit at home and everyone enjoyed having this yummy jalebis when they were still warm..Savitha shared quite an easy preparation which sounds truly very easy for me and she wasnt wrong,am gonna make often these beauties in future..Thanks to Savitha for sharing this easy breezy jalebis..Sending to Priya& Aipi's Bookmarked Recipes...

Stir the yeast in luke warm water and keep aside until it turns foamy..Take the flour,cornstarch,salt,sugar,orange food colour in a bowl,add the frothy yeast and turn everything a thick batter, keep the mixture in warm place for an hour until the mixture will gets double their volume..Now make the sugar syrup, take the sugar and water, bring to boil for 5 minutes, put off the stove add the lemon juice and cardamom powder,keep aside..

Make a hole with a hot nail in a ziploc bag, pour enough mixture to the ziploc bag, meanwhile heat enough oil for frying..once the oil is enough hot,squeeze out the mixture as mini jalebis, flip and cook on both sides, immediately drain the jalebis and put directly to the sugar syrup for a minute, take it out and arrange them in a box..

After trying rice with grapefruit, this time i tried making pulihora using quinoa and grapefruit juice instead of rice and lemon/ tamarind..For my surprise this pulihora turned out super delicious, the grapefruits i used were very much sour but fortunately not bitter..Am so happy to prepare this healthy version of pulihora which goes for an easy, quick and simple cooking process...Sometimes grapefruits have their bitternes, in case if the grapefruit juice is slightly bitter, deduce the quantity of grapefruit juice and add lemon juice along with the grapefruit juice,that will definitely help to mask the bitter taste...When served along with spicy potato fries, this pulihora tastes truly fabulous and both together turned out lunch truly filling and fabulous..Sending this healthy pulihora to Satya's Twist The Traditional - Pulihora & to Only Original Recipes guest hosted by Nivi,event by Pari..

Bring boil three cups of water with salt, add the quinoa and cook until they get well cooked, drain the excess of water and keep aside..Heat enough oil, fry the mustard seeds, urad dal,asafoetida powder,curry leaves,channadal, green chillies, peanuts, curry leaves and turmeric powder..Add the grapefruit juice to the pan and cook until the oil gets separates..Now add the tempered juice as per need to the cooked quinoa, add salt if needed..